Absinthe

[GemmaCat]

Fall under the spell of our Green Fairy! An intoxicating blend containing wormwood essence, light mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, and the barest hint of lemon.

In the imp: Mint and lemon!

On my skin, initial: bright, sharp lemon and soft mints. This is so fresh and uplifting!

Drydown: this is getting more minty, and less citrus, and there's a strange note I can't place beneath it all that is very pretty.

I LOVE this scent! I need a bottle now.

[The Perfumed Ferret]

All I got from this was lemon. No mint, no anise, nothing!

 

 

I so wanted this to work on me, but alas it makes me smell like lemon pledge.

[batsy]

It's funny how I know a lot about absinthe and its history, but never have been in a place where I could smell the actual stuff.

 

In the bottle it's very wet and you can smell the burn of fresh mint in the back of your throat, mixed with the herbs, wormwood and a dash of sugar. As it dried down, the herbs and wormwood popped, along with the cardamom. The lemon was barely noticeable, but it's there. The mint is pretty strong, but not in an overpowering way. Almost a sophisticated scent, suitable for evening dinners/social occasions.

[Naamah_Darling]

On first sniff immediately after receipt, my friend and I agreed that this smells like Ny-Quil. This alone was horrible enough to keep me from trying it for quite a while.

 

Clearly, I had been sniffing too many fumes, for once I decided to brave it I loved it. In the bottle I smell a licorice-sweet blend spiked with mint and a dash of thin and pungent herbs.

 

I must try it on.

 

The anise and fennel in absinthe is what smells like licorice; in this blend it expands to an herbal scent, not candylike at all, then it draws aside like a veil to let the rest of the perfume through. There is a scent here like mums or marigolds, peppery and pungent and wild, and greenly herbal. Bruised and torn mint. A close whisper of lemon, citric but not candylike. This is medicinal, fumigatory, dry and a little sour.

 

Dry, it's very, very nice. A cool, sweet herbal that absolutely does not smell perfumey. It's also very light and clean. I love it, and I don't particularly like licorice (though those who are strongly averse to the smell of it should probably avoid this blend). Even on extreme weardown this remains fresh, green, and moist, and never goes powdery. Huzzah!

 

People? Try the smells you hate in the bottle. Delightful!

[PirateMaggie]

Intoxicating is right! I've been using my imp in trance work--something in this, probably the wormwood, is highly effective in reaching an altered state of consciousness. This works really well as a scent as well. As others have said, it isn't a perfumey or sweet blend. On me it's sparkling mint, warmed by cardamom and hyssop, witha tart twist of lemon. The anise lingers in the background, giving the occasional licorice waft. It's green, herbal, and somewhat ethereal. Throw is light, but it lasts well. It's one of those blends that smells different against the skin than it does further out. It's definely one of those complex, unique, interesting blends that only BPAL can make. It's gone into heavy rotation with the arrival of Spring--the herbals lend themselves well to season as the earth wakes up and the greenery comes back.

 

My imp is almost gone and a big bottle of this is getting ordered next payday.

[Athena's Owl]

imp: Mint, set to hit you in the face. burning sugar. liquour. something swirling and dizzy with the sweetness. this is a medicine that won't cure your ill. you take a swig of the liqour and accept the hard candied mint, so strong it clears your sinuses because there's no room for anything but mint, and you go down into the fresh cut hole, down into the tunnel with your high amp flashlight.

 

Wet: the hard clack of an ovoid mint in your teeth as you explore an old undergrond room, like a barrow grave, and the candy melts down to anise seeds, tasting of licorice. exposed roots from the tree above your head tangles in your hair, and you have to stop to unwind yourself from its grasp.

 

you spend a little extra time picking all the broken hairs off. you don't like the idea of just leaving them there.

 

later: sweet herbal pastilles and bitter poison. the combination is really quite cool. I'm not sure if it's the right thing for a perfume, but I like the smell.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Incredibly enough, I never reviewed this, even though it was one of my first imps--I discovered this whilst updating my spreadsheet tonight. Well, I liked it well enough to get another imp since the original--it's clean, fresh, and unexpected, with the anise and lemon to balance the herbals. It completely evokes its name. Great for parties and hot summer days. However, I must say that I love La Fee Verte a billion times more--I like Absinthe but would never have thought of layering it with honey and spices, but the combo is TO DIE FOR on me.

[Caltha]

Absinthe

I prefer Avaluxe's Absinthe which has more bite, but I don't love any of them. This is sort of fresh and cool, not very decadent. It has a slight alcohol heat and herbal bittnerness, but very subdued. It's mostly fresh and cool with a scent of anise and cucumber and, I'm sorry to say, pickles.

[lady_pandora]

Re-reviewing due to technical difficulties.

 

This was a frimp from the big group order my friends and I did in February. I had high hopes for it, since I was the kid who used to eat all the black jellybeans that the other kids didn't want! I love black licorice, and I was told that Absinthe smelled like licorice.

 

Right out of the bottle, it's mostly mint, which is also a good thing. After a few minutes, the anise emerges, with its yummy licorice-ness.

 

Then, a GIANT LEMON stomps in, thwacks the other ingredients over the head with a club, and drags them back to its lemony cave.

 

Ugh, lemon just does NOT work on me. It was nasty in Sea of Glass and is nasty in this. Apparently, my skin likes to amp lemon to the forefront and make it smell nasty. Imean, we're talking "lemon dishwashing liquid" here. Ick.

[sissa125]

Imp: lemon, in a bitter alcoholic solvent.

Wet: Anise! and lemon rind.

Dry: very faint fennel and anise. Interesting, but not unforgettable.

 

I had high hopes for this one - I hoped it would be like sticking my nose into a jar of fennel and inhaling. Turned out to be not quite what I was looking for. Fans of absinthe seem to adore it but, not being a devotee of the green fairy myself, I decided to pass it to someone who would appreciate its merits.

 

In summary, an interesting herbal scent that I could grow to enjoy, but it deserved a better home.

[Thursdae]

Sniffing Absinthe conjured up a scent memory. This doesn't often happen to me, and in this case, it means I won't be wearing Absinthe. Its destiny is the frimp pile.

 

What was the memory? When, as a kid, I went fishing with my dad, he sometimes used a type of bait that looked like a raspberry. A rubbery, translucent, orange-colored raspberry. We kids used to enjoy squishing it and sniffing it. And that's what Absinthe brought to mind. It's not fishy or anything like that. There is a sweetness to its peculiar odor. I'm glad to have been reminded of those long-ago fishing trips but . . . you catch my drift.

[septima_pica]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this already...thanks so much, attar shanas, for mailing it to me!

 

Definitely one of my new top favourites. This is like the younger, more lively sibling of Laudanum. The overall impression is "yes, that's it exactly!" -- it really evokes the taste of absinthe, green and anisey, with cardamom and mint, and (late to show up) a twist of citrus peel. I don't think I smell the alcohol at all, oddly; I never seem to pick up that note in any of the boozy blends. It doesn't bog down in sweet vanilla and honey, either, like La Fee Verte; this is a cold shot straight out of the bottle without the sugar cube. And although its delicacy made me initially expect it would be a quick vanisher, it hangs around for a good four or five hours. All in all, a total winner. I need a bottle of this one.

[Nekomata]

Unfortunately this doesn't smell like my bottle of french absinthe, there's just not enough anise in there. It is a good scent, however, lemony and fresh with the barest hint of herbs (Fennel?). Too bad it fades quickly on my skin.

[draconix]

In the bottle: Very sharp. Lemony like whoa. It's not overly pleasant in the bottle. Gives me a bit of a headache to be honest. Minty.

 

On my skin: Minty and lemony. The mixture is creating a definite tang... but when it's not concentrated in a bottle it is better and a little less overpowering. I don't really like the way this is reacting on my skin though... after letting it sit for awhile, it fades to a lighter mint-lemon smell. There's something about it that reminds me of something... but I can't figure out what.

 

Final Thoughts: Probably reserved for the days I'm feeling a little adventurous. It's a little overwhelming for me, but used very sparingly it would work.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Anise and lemon.

 

Preconceived notions: Another "tried it long ago, don't remember what I thought" scent. I have no clue -- I love the way Absinthe tastes, but what of a scent based on it? Hmm.

 

In the imp: Mint, wormwood and anise, emphasis on anise.

 

On skin, wet: Lemon and anise. Not Pledge-lemon; more like black liquorice twists dipped in melted lemon drops. No sign of mint or cardamom, sadly.

 

On skin, dry: Sweeter now, like dusting sugar over the above-mentioned liquorice-in-lemon-candy. There is no mint, herb(s) or cardamom, so I don't really think "Absinthe!" when smelling this.

 

Conclusion: This is, on me anyway, closer to the way Absinthe tastes than how it smells. It also reminds me of Ouzo, perhaps more than it does of Absinthe. While I love both drinks, I'm not a big fan of anise in scents, so Absinthe the scent and I are not to be.

[DEMONDAHLIA]

This really does smell like Absinthe .. and its funny how the Anise creeps out secondly just like when you drink Absinthe and have the strong black licqorice aftertaste.. The wormwood isnt overbearing which is nice .. a perfect of balance giving it that slightly green herbal note . The only thing keeping this from being a big bottle purchace is I cannot get the scent to hang around for more than a few mins. My body Chemisty just swallows it up

[Ryvre]

This is spot on what Absinthe smells like- lemon and licorice. It stays pretty true on my skin, and has a decent throw. Now the real question is whether I want to walk around smelling like Absinthe.

[storme]

In the imp: hmm, minty wood and a bit of anise.

 

On me, wet: mint licorice with a dash of citrus. This is compelling, but I dont't know if I actually *like* it. It keeps reminding me of a sweetshop, rather than a bar.

 

On me, dry: Man, that's some tangy citrusy minty craziness. I'm still not sure if I like it - I think for once this may in fact be *too* citric* for me, since every time I sniff at my wrist I can feel my eyelids tensing as if ready to blink back tears. I'm pleasantly surprised that the anise didn't go nuts on me, mind you.

 

Later: whoa whoa whoa waitaminute what the hell is this? Now this has become the scent of Lush's sandstone soap - in other words, lemon soap. Crazy.

 

Verdict: Man. You know, I didn't know what to expect from this scent, I just knew I really wanted to try it. And, well, it was weirdly pleasant up until it went soapy. Ah well, off it goes.

[Elrianra]

In the bottle: Mints, tons and tons of mints with licorice and lemon sitting right behind it. A little bitter, I'm guessing that's the wormwood and hyssop poking their noses out.

 

On me wet: Minty licorice, definitely the anise standing on it's toes here.

 

On me drying: It smells like Lysol, actually. Citrus-y and bitter with a kick in the back of your throat that I think is the cardamom.

 

On me dry: Powdery, like an dried flowers but entirely sweeter. It makes the back of my throat itch badly, which is the anise and wormwood.

 

Final conclusion:

1 Hour Later - The sweetness is wearing thin, leaving mints and anise covering up a sneaking bit of cardamom and lemon, the wormwood's finally backed off but not enough to prevent a mild headache on my behalf. The hyssop is making it overall a bit too bitter.

 

Finale:

In the bottle, my best friend says it smells just like real absinthe - not that I have any idea what that actually smells like. Something in it, am thinking the anise, makes it a bit too strong for me and while there isn't much throw to it at all, this one's just not for me.

[Happy Heathen]

In the bottle:

I don't know how they do it, but this stuff smells exactly like absinthe. Admittedly I've only smelt the real thing once, but it was a pretty distinct scent, and this is exactly it. The wormwood is exceedingly dominant, giving it an earthy smell almost on the verge of rot, tempered lightly by the anise and the tiniest whiff of mint. It's very odd; not something I would pick out as a perfume but more than intriguing enough to catch my attention and make me want to try it.

 

On myself:

'The barest hint of lemon'? I SMELL LIKE A BLEEDIN' LEMON DROP! No, I am not exaggerating one iota - my wrist smells precisely like someone dissolved an entire bag of the little candies in extra-sugary water and spilled the whole thing over my skin. What the hell. There's no anise, no wormwood, no mint or cardamom or hyssop - just the intensely sticky sweetness of lemon. I'd be more offended by smelling so foody if it didn't make me giggle outright at the total absurdity of it. As it dries, the lemon does fade, but only the anise comes forward, so that now I smell like licorice; I seem doomed to be a walking candy store whilst wearing this. At the very last it does finally smell more like very sweet absinthe, but it still resembles candy more than alcohol.

 

I think the final verdict is that, although I generally loathe smelling like food, this just makes me giggle so much that I want to keep it anyway. It'll be a fun scent for summer, for days at a carnival or road trips with the windows down and hot dusty air rushing by.

[columbus]

Ayuh. That's just about right. ; )

 

In the bottle: lemon, mint, and anise. It doesn't smell exactly like Absinthe, but does smell like a kitchen in which one is preparing Absinthe. I mean... uh... not that anyone here in the good ol' U S of A would know what that smells like. ;p

 

Wet on the skin: Anise becomes much stronger, and you can get the touch of wormwood now, too. Still herbal and lovely.

 

Drying/dry: The full effect. It's really quite spot on, actually. The anise is a bit stronger than everything else when I wear it (which I'm actually glad about, because everyone else seems to find that lemon is the strongest note; I don't want to smell like wood cleaner! ), and that suits me just fine. All the joy of a visit from the Green Fairy without the hangover!

 

Overall: The scent lasted for quite a while, with the mint dying out first followed by the wormwood and eventually the lemon, too. I had a couple of people mention that it smelled like liquorice, which makes sense, considering the strength of the anise.

Great scent. I'm not going to buy a big bottle right away, but I'll definitely make sure to keep an imp around!

 

8.5/10

Edited May 24, 2006 by columbus jones

[moon_lemming]

Mmm, much better than La Fée Verte was on me. Wet, Absinthe is black licorice with a fresh green and yellow base just underneath the surface. As it dries, the anise gets stronger, and for the next hour or so, it's all just tasty black licorice.

 

A few hours into the wearing, though, the anise fades and there's just a fresh blend of green smells that I can't pick out individually.

 

Pretty good staying power, too, although a little into hour six it starts disappearing.

[tinyvulture]

at first, it’s so minty – like spearmint gum! then i get tart lemon, which combines in an intriguing way with the mint and the licorice-y anise. i am not sure what wormwood smells like, but i do detect something kind of like dry sandalwood. overall this scent is medicinal, slightly sweet, and complex.

[kunoichi]

Why did I wear this today? Because as part of my b'day party I went to a vodka bar that had a whole bunch of absinthe on the menu - I ordered a Spanish Gallion (real mint tea with a Spanish absinthe shot on the side). Woah, was that absinthe nothing like the stuff I normally drink (from the Starorežná distillery) - drinking it was more like breathing it and it burned in your mouth (the label on the Greek Fairy one says "60%", but under the label is "70%" ... I presume the "60%" of the Spanish one is higher!) and made it numb... especially with a sip of mint tea!!

 

Anyway.

 

In the vial this smells like lemon scented aniseed. I found that odd, because I've never smelled absinthe with lemon in it before. Not even a cocktail with lemon. It's the aniseed that reminds me a little of the drink, though. But lemon?

 

On my skin, the lemon ramps up first, so it doesn't smell like the drink at all. It smells like lemon with a bit of aniseed. Lemon licorice, perhaps. It's only after the lemon fades down that it the aniseed comes to the fore again, and my skin makes one of the notes sweeter, so it's kind of like absinthe after the caramelised sugar has been added! Smelling it at this stage made me feel like my mouth would go numb again!! *laugh*

 

Eventually this fades down to a soft, slightly sweet aniseed-like scent. Sort of a very faint whiff of licorice lollies on my skin; it only took a couple of hours to reach this stage.

 

It's interesting stuff, certainly! I think I'll have to wear it whenever I drink absinthe!!

Edited June 10, 2006 by kunoichi

[crazyredhead17]

I've never smelled or tried Absinthe, so I don't know if this comes close to the real thing scent wise. I ordered it because I love how mint, cardamom, anise, and lemons/citrus smell.

 

In the imp, it was a not too sweet, not too bitter, and not too much like plants. On me, however.. I don't know what it did. I got no mint, cardamom, anise, lemon.. or anything else I could pick out. I just smelled like a slightly muddy green plant of some sort. At least it didn't hang around too long on my skin though.. I don't think it lasted more than an hour or two before I couldn't smell it anymore.

 

I am just a bit jealous of everyone this smells good on tho.